19-03-2025
Gateway screens controversial "No Other Land"
A controversial but critically acclaimed documentary is screening in Columbus thanks to independent cinema.
Why it matters:" No Other Land," which won the Oscar for best documentary feature film for its coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, has struggled to find nationwide distribution due to its subject matter.
State of play: Nonprofit independent theater Gateway Film Center hosted Ohio's only pre-Academy Awards screenings of the movie and has shown it continuously since early February.
Friction point: The film has become a microcosm of the global debate over the conflict it documents, drawing both criticism and acclaim.
In Miami Beach, O Cinema was threatened with eviction for screening the documentary. The city's mayor also proposed pulling local grants for showing the "one-sided propaganda attack on the Jewish people."
Between the lines: Gateway president and CEO Chris Hamel tells Axios screening the film is "very important" to the theater's mission and highlights the importance of independent cinema in Columbus.
Hamel says he has heard nothing but "messages of gratitude and positivity" from local audiences.
What they're saying: Hamel offers "full-throated support of the great people at O Cinema," a fellow nonprofit and independent theater.
"The type of censorship they are experiencing, for an Academy Award-winning film, is surprising and disappointing. I hope the people in Miami come out to support this great venue and the fine people who are running it."
